Problems
by BehindBars29
Summary: Red and Clyde first met each other after Reds big move from N.Y. to Colorado. They were best friends from the first day Clyde came over to welcome her to the neighborhood. But their difference of four years makes Clyde quickly grow out of the friendship.
1. Past

"Everyone has their problems," Clyde said to me, one day, clearly satisfied with himself. "When you've lost a toe you think you have the worst luck but the next thing you know your friend calls up saying he lost a whole foot…"

At the time when Clyde had given me his advice I was only two years short from being able to order from the adult menu. Since most kids my age then didn't like hanging around the 'fat' girl I was usually with my family or any neighbors who didn't mind my company for the day.

After moving from New York to Colorado the one person who welcomed me to the neighborhood was Clyde. He was born and raised in South Park and despite his tough loner exterior he was a very accommodating person who surely, when he was older, could've been a tour guide.

He had a way with words too. His advice on life was always charming to me because everything he said he seemed so sure about. He could fool me into think that milk came from monkeys. This, in fate, ended me up in the hospital with monkey scratches running down the back of my neck and my left shoulder. But that being a lost cause now, made me realize that even though most of his advice was a bunch of bullshit I looked up to him and cared about him because he was the closest thing to a friend I ever had. He accepted my weight and didn't mind that I was four years younger. To him, I was his younger sister who wasn't interested in dolls or frilly clothing. I was way above all the silly little girls who played hopscotch on their driveways, I was _cool_. But being cool in Clydes eyes doesn't even amount up to the millions of reasons why Clyde is such a big part of my life now.

Life now is usually spent on countless hours of Drivers Ed and days filled with different interviews for a job. Being on the swimming team makes my extra hours for reading or watching T.V. limited so I can keep my leaner body up with the strict exercise Coach Sally makes us do. So when the subject of Clyde comes up, even with all the distractions, talking about him is almost as much work as swimming twenty laps around Starks Pond.

The one thing Clyde was right about, yes, the same Clyde who got me four long scars down my neck and shoulder, is that everyone has problems. Knowing what I do now, I realize that not even Clyde saw our future to be the way it is now. Our days are practically based on our rivalry minus all the other activities and things going on in our lives. Just the simple fact that Clyde grew up is what made us enemies. It wasn't the taunting words or eerie silence that created such a great big void between me and Clyde. It was the fact that Clyde shut me out and just didn't want me anymore. He left me to fend for myself when I was all too young. I grew up without friends and even worse…enemies. But what was the most damaging to my childhood were the problems I had to face having Clyde as my enemy. He was a dangerous person and when you knew Clyde you wanted to know him the good way. You wanted him on your side.

Or else he was a problem.


	2. Homecoming

**AN:** Hey. This chapter is going to be stronger so please enjoy and review. I just recently had an inspiration to write for this fanfiction when my brother was jumping on the trampoline and I feel much better about how this came out. I made Red, the main character, talk more about her life "now" then "before". This chapter is supposed to show you who she is now and what her relationships with her family are like. After that I will be able to branch off to Clyde more to develop the rising action to the climax. But yup, thanks. Tell me what you think.

Sometimes when I sit outside in the backyard and watch my older brother Craig and his friend Tweek jump on the trampoline I almost feel comforted and safe. Their smiling faces move up and down and I imagine my younger self sitting in front of my television waiting for my brothers favorite show to come on. It was something about a red racecar and it always made my brother happy so it was worth the watch. But one time, right before his show came on, I was watching a commercial and on it a small smiley face began jumping and whistling to a nice upbeat song and at that moment I felt like nothing but that smiley face could hurt me. And I knew it wouldn't because it's eyes, so full of saftey and hope, looked straight into mine and made me feel untouchable. The boogie monsters and taunting school mates that always sent me crying were gone from my worries.

So when Craig comes home from college it's a big breather for me and my crazy, busy life. My coach lets me have off for a week with a schedule of how many laps to swim a day and my Drivers Ed teacher, Wendy, who knows Craig personally, lets me have a couple mornings off. So, like today, I have nothing to do before Craig arrives. I just sit in the middle of my trampoline, after deciding against swimming some laps in the local indoor pool, and read a romance novel for a couple minutes. But after a while the snow is beginning to fall and I run inside real quick for a plastic bag to put my book in. Inside, in the kitchen I open a drawer and take a bag from a box and slip it over my open book. I get back outside in a matter of seconds and bounce onto the trampoline and decide not to read anymore. The plastic bag was a great cover from the snow but it was always so difficult to turn the pages. So instead I set the book down near the trampoline after sealing the bag and jump.

The snow was coming down harder by the time Craig finally arrived. The ground under the trampoline was scattered with only little crystals of snow that you could see if you were really looking. The windows in my house were frosted and my block was lined with houses almost fully covered by snow.

Sitting in the den, next to Craig with the heat blasting and a mug of herbal tea cupped in my hands, I listen to Craig babble excitedly about his first Semester of college and his dorm that he shares with himself. Since he is allowed a pet in his dorm he has his pet Guinea pig to keep him company when hes stuck inside. Since he goes to one of the most prestigious colleges in Colorado this is usually the case. The University of Denver is an interesting place and he is always writing papers for classes, reading or studying up on the schools history since it has been around since 1864. He says that, like old Craig, he stills gets in trouble for his attitude but it isn't as bad as it used to be because he decided that he wants to get better since it _is_ his money he's spending on himself. So being kicked out would waste tons of money.

After our long talk he asked me how I was and we washed our cups. He said that tommorrow he had plans with Tweek and invited me for some fun on the trampoline in the morning and a trip to South Parks Outlet Mall with him, Tweek and Kevin Stoley, a guy my age who interns with Tweek at a bookstore.

"You'll really like him", he said and I almost believed him. "He's your kindof guy...all quiet and always doing something."

I yawned a little, as it was pretty late, and spoke as I turned off the sink. "We'll see." I shook my head. "You know how I am. The swim team are the only people I can trust...they are really my only friends."

He laughed a little.

" Polk, your dear Tolken and Stan are _not _the only people you _can_ trust." His eyes narrowed as he opened the fridge for some food. "They are the only people you _want_ to trust."

I dried my hand on a towel, leaned on the counter and cracked my knuckles. "Yeah...well thanks Craig. I'm glad you're home. I think imma go to sleep now though. Night"

"Night. Can't wait for tommorrow."

Later when I finally fell asleep I dreamt of something really weird. It couldv'e been anything but I felt fear in my heart when I woke up the next morning and I realized that the thing in my dream wasn't a thing but a person. Clyde had weasled his way into my dreams and in the end, like always, left me gasping for my breath...weak and alone.


End file.
